1) tear off the sod around the garden spot (about a foot width) and a little deeper than just the sod. Then line with plastic (heavy duty plastic garbage bags work just fine, make sure to do a good job of overlapping the plastic. Then fill with rock…I find that works really well for many years

2) find a good edging… find something that will go down into the ground about 8inches. Don’t get the 4" stuff…it’s just not enough. Find any kind of edging or material that will let you put a wall down into the ground about 8" and that should prevent things from going into your garden.

As another poster said, 4′ x 3′ is a very small garden…you will not be able to do much with it. Most plants get big fast!

Have fun!

The fact that you only have a small yard does not mean that it has to be devoid of landscaping elements. There are plenty of things that can be done with a small yard to help it look nice, whilst at the same time not encroaching too much onto the usable space.

The key is to plan well, and to choose plants and designs that are not too overpowering. Even though you may not be able to have large boulders or a sweeping flower garden, or indeed a large pond, it is still possible to have a beautiful landscape that surrounds your home. Making it both attractive and an area in which you can enjoy relaxing and entertaining.

One of the things to remember when you have a small space is that you can build up rather than building out. You can do this by building raised beds for your plants. This can be done yourself, allowing you to save money. In fact, if you have a small yard, your landscaping costs should be fewer anyway. Building a raised bed allows you to create an attractive feature for your small yard without having to worry about taking up too much space. Some beds, if built on planks of wood, can be designed with wheels. Then you can move your landscape wherever you want; you have a moveable landscape!

Another method of maximizing small landscape space is to use containers for planting. Instead of marking out large sections of your yard for flowerbeds or vegetable patches, do a little container gardening. These types of gardens allow you to choose to plant various items in containers. Plants in containers take up less space, and you can move them around as you need to. This also creates a moveable landscape that can be very convenient depending upon your use of the space for a certain day. The containers can be placed for ornamental effect while you are entertaining, or they can be moved out of the way for a rousing family party or game.

Take into account the colors in your landscape. Cool colors (like blue) actually make a space look larger. Therefore, if you would like your yard to feel and look larger, choose the colors that make it look that way. Plants like silver king and evergreens can give your yard a feeling of largeness. Blue spruce and Alberta pine are good examples of plants that add a decorative tough while helping your property look bigger. In fact, Alberta pines are rather small trees, so they do not take up very much space while at the same time conferring a feeling of maximum space.

Another idea for the smaller landscape spaces is a small rock garden. A well-designed rock garden always makes an attractive feature. Make sure that it is in a place that will not be in the way when you mow the lawn assuming you have one of course. A little nook or corner of the property, or even up against the house on a raised bed, will do for a small rock garden. Choose your rocks carefully to complement each other, and choose plants that go with the rocks and that will not spread too much. Hens and chicks are great plants for use in a small rock garden. The rock garden draws the eye, but does not need to be sprawling.

Finally, if you want a water feature, it is possible to use a small one for limited landscape space. Small features similar to serenity fountains can be purchased for outdoor use. You can put them among your rock garden or even place one on the wall of your garden or house. Even a small birdbath can add a feeling of elegance to the yard. And the great thing about buying a small water feature is that it costs much, much less than putting in a big pond or even a medium size waterfall. Water features come in a variety of types and designs, and it very likely that you can find one to fit the size and the look of your yard.

Even if your garden is small, it is possible to design a landscape that enlarges the space in an attractive manner. By carefully considering your design, using small features and cool colors, and by thinking about what would help give your yard a touch of elegance, you can have a very nicely landscaped and cosy surrounding for your home.

Paul P. Duxbury
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-make-the-most-of-a-small-garden-or-yard-95209.html

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Cottage gardens are traditionally thought of as English gardens, lushly planted with colorful jumbles of flowers and shrubs, and grown in areas with mild winters and cool summers. Unfortunately, most places in the U.S. outside of the Pacific Northwest do not have the proper climate for an English garden.

Luckily, American cottage gardens are just as beautiful and better adapted to our climate. Still based on the lovely informal array of flowers and shrubs, they are perfectly suited to most informal suburban homes or country lots without the need for a huge English manor garden space that few of us have.

American cottage gardening encompasses using more drought tolerant and native plants, plants that are hardier for cold winter climates, and plants that tolerate and even thrive on the sunshine. The style tends to look natural and free flowing without any plan or design, however does indeed usually have a backbone plan to bring out the best in plant color combinations and textures that compliment each other. That being said, cottage gardens are also places where self seeded plants may be allowed to pop up as they will, and the garden is always a surprise from one season to the next! Flowers, shrubs, vegetables and herbs may share the same beds, and roses abound! Vines soften fences and walls, and furniture and decor is simple and comfortable.

Some easy to grow, drought and heat resistant plants perfect for the American cottage garden include yarrow, valerian, Russian sage, coneflower, coreopsis, scabiosa, joe pye weed, daffodils, sunflower, butterfly bush and roses. Many herbs also love heat. Sage, thyme, purple basil, golden oregano and lavender all thrive in my high desert garden. Annuals can be seeded directly in the garden and many self sow for next year as well. Good cottage gardens choices include cosmos, annual sunflower, cleome, alyssum and poppies.

Cottage gardens are magical places, full of charm, whimsy and surprises, and a perfect place to let your creativity in the garden shine and grow. Don’t forget to add a meandering path, a rustic or painted arbor, and a picket fence here or there.

My own garden here at The Garden Glove is a cottage garden style, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. See photos and read articles on cottage style gardens at TheGardenGlove.com/cottage_garden.html.

If you’re looking for a laid back style, beautiful easy care flowers, and a charming feel for your home and garden, cottage style is for you.

Kathy Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-grow-a-cottage-garden-135996.html

Tips for good garden design and landscaping

Good creative skills are essential for the specialised fields of garden design and landscaping. Consequently, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the industry and be able to apply acquired skills in a theoretical and practical manner. Lifestyle Learning Direct, one of the Gold Coast’s premier online learning and correspondence course providers, suggests that in order to be a good garden designer or landscaper you need to be able to:

Evaluate a design project, have a clear understanding of a designer’s role, and be able to conduct a meeting with a client.

Be knowledgeable about the historical influences on modern garden design.

Be able to identify the various ‘hard’ components of landscaping and design, such as garden structures and walls, fences and gates.

Have a good general knowledge about soils and plants, and other landscaping products such as compost, gravel, sleepers, pavers, cement, sand, rock and slate, and so on.

Be familiar with the pricing structure of various landscaping supplies.

Have had practical experience in several areas of landscape design and its allied industries, such as nurseries and landscaping supply yards.

Have an awareness of different styles of gardens, as well as lighting and water features and the various types of surfacing materials available for use in garden design.

Be knowledgeable about earthworks involved in landscaping and design.

Have a broad knowledge on the basics of starting a business, business plans, market analysis and ongoing management.

How can you become a better Garden Designer and Landscaper?

To gain professional garden design and landscaping proficiency, it is best to undertake a specialised course that teaches you the essential skills. Lifestyle Learning Direct. is a leader in the provision of writing distance education courses that aim to give students a broad understanding of the industry competency regarding both the theoretical and practical application of this knowledge.

Apart from understanding the application of good garden design ideas and landscaping elements and principles, you need to be conversant with other necessary components such as earthworks, marking out and job costing, as well as basic drawing skills and client/designer communication. As a result, you should develop the ability to apply this knowledge in a broad variety of situations, as well as recognise and correct all manner of design errors.

If you dream of being your own boss, as well as the theory of garden design and landscaping you also need to know the practical aspects of how to set up in business.

For more information in relation to fashion design and dressmaking, please contact Lifestyle Learning Direct.

Robyn Lee Burrows
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/lifestyle-learning-directs-garden-design-and-landscaping-tips-and-tricks-95459.html